Cleveland Browns Down Four Wide Receivers vs. New York Jets Due to Coronavirus Plague Exposure

FILE PHOTO: Dec 20, 2020; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) runs the ball against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will be without the bulk of his receiving corps for Sunday’s game at the New York Jets, after contact tracing landed four wideouts on the reserve/COVID-19 list before the team took off from Cleveland.

Starting receivers Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins, along with key backups Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge, were all placed on the list after being identified as high-risk close contacts of a positive test. Cleveland announced earlier Saturday that a player had tested positive and later placed starting linebacker B.J. Goodson on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Cleveland’s flight to New Jersey was delayed by more than four hours as the team conducted contact tracing. Rookie linebacker Jacob Phillips was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Browns had only one active receiver left, Marvin Hall, and had to call up both Derrick Willies and rookie Ja’Marcus Bradley off the practice squad before a scheduled departure of 7 p.m. ET. None of the three has posted a reception with Cleveland this season.

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SOURCE: ESPN, Jenna Laine